6 Famously Rejected Creators
“Every failure made me more confident. Because I wanted even more to achieve things, as revenge. To show that I could.” - Roman Polanski
Are you afraid of rejection? Have you put your heart and soul into a creative endeavor, only to get turned down?
Well, there’s nothing more inspiring to me than hearing about famous people who suffered loads of rejection before they made it big. Here are some examples:
1. Elvis - was rejected by his high school glee club.
2. Michael Jordan - was cut from his high school basketball team during his sophmore year.
3. Charles Schultz - was told his cartoons were unacceptable for the high school yearbook.
4. Julia Roberts - auditioned for a part in All My Children and didn’t get it.
5. Margaret Mitchell - author of Gone With The Wind, had a hard time selling the film rights to her book. MGM’s Irving Thalberg said, “Forget it. No Civil War picture ever made a nickel.”
6. Anne Frank - her famous diary was rejected by 15 publishers before Doubleday published it in 1952.
There are countless famous people who experienced constant rejection and set-backs. Do you know of any? Leave a comment!
“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” — Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
Wow, I’ve heard of Jordan being rejected, but Elvis and the other four really surprised me. It’s inspiring…in a sad rejecting kind of way.
Who knew that rejection could lead to such greatness?
All the more reason to keep plugging along.
@Hunter - Wow. Hilarious. Thanks for that one!
@Herbert - Welcome! I know what you mean - sadly inspiring. Is it wrong that it makes us so happy to know how hard these people struggled?
@Barbara - Yup, all the more reason to keep going. Abe Lincoln had a million hardships, lost countless elections, suffered from depression, etc. Amazing.
Wow, just when I needed some inspiration to keep working! Thank you for a very original post.
Hi Lisa, and welcome! So glad you were inspired. Visit again soon.
Hi Mark,
I finally made my way to your site to find a delightful presentation.
It’s spacious and clean and inviting, at least to an “empty” mind.
The list of failures (temporarily) continues with:
Chicken Soup for the Soul - turned down over 100 times! Finally published by a small publisher willing to “take a chance”.
Babe Ruth - struck out far more than he ran home runs.
Edison - over 10,000, yes ten thousand tries at light bulbs…so glad he didn’t quit!
Harmony -failed more than she ever got it “right” and is having a good time anyway!
Thanks for the stimulating thought,
Hey Harmony! Welcome, and thanks for the very kind words. Those are great examples. 10,000 attempts at making a light bulb. Sheesh. Most of us give up after 10 attempts! Thank you!
Mark, I have been known at times to give up before the end of number 1. :-)))